Memory Lane

Clare Francis MBE, the sailor, was the inspiration for today's navigation in the south-west Dales. Recently she wrote about Crummack Lane, her favourite. It comes later.

We arrived in Clapham, a cheerful start, with screeching children playing on the beck banks as a teacher splashed them while pretending to show how to tickle a trout.

After a spooky tunnel we were out in the sunshine and on Long Lane, the first of three tracks, and a rather austere mile to start with. All the action was down on the valley, the Ingleborough Cave etc, but we had just been to a heaving Lake District and needed some peace. Here there was a scattering of walkers, not packs.

Eventually the track rises to the scar line and picks up character. Then it stops at the high grasslands and we halted for a sandwich, basked in the tail end of the sunniest March for a century, gazed over to the heights of Ingleborough, and tried to ID the holes and pots in the landscape.

At 1,200 ft we switched back to another grass track, past shake holes and small areas of limestone pavement; one could hardly ask for more.

But down a bit and round the corner and bang - grand views to big scars, shimmering pavement, and Crummack Lane, white, bright and dipping south.

We joined it at the day's one and only farm, a fine looking place.

Clare Francis is better on the lane than I could be so here is a sentence or two of hers: "Crummack Lane is a harsh, wild and empty lane set in a vast, ice-age landscape. It is intimidating, primeval and uncanny as it snakes its way between gritstone walls, passes tumbling stony becks, stretches up through strange limestone crags, carries on, unrelenting, then opens itself out, stark and naked on to the immense fells which come down to its very edges."

A bit of poetic licence there, but you get the drift, and perhaps for sympathy we should have gone uphill as did she.

Our third walled track is Thwaite Lane, which like Long Lane is probably medieval. It has more trees and showed a few early flowers.

Nappa Scars and Robin Proctor's Scar loomed large and are of considerable geological interest being features of the Craven Fault.

Thwaite Lane was plain sailing back to Clapham and a cuppa in Caf Anne, where Anne (I presume) was a striking vision, sporting a large arrow through her hair.

Fact file

Distance: Seven miles.

Time: Three hours.

General location: south-west Dales.

Start: The village of Clapham.

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way.

Date walked: Friday March 28 2003.

Road route: Harrogate, Skipton.

Car parking: Pay and display or roadside.

Lavatories: Car park.

Refreshments: Inn and cafs.

Tourist and public transport information: Settle TIC 01729 825192.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL2 Yorkshire Dales southern and western areas.

Terrain: Upland grassland.

Points of interest: Clare Francis's quote on Crummack Lane is from English Country Lanes: A Celebrity Choice by Elisabeth Chidsey (Smith Settle £19.99). This is mostly toddles including efforts by such unlikely types as Sir Michael Caine and Dame Barbara Cartland.

Difficulty: Moderate, but take OS map and compass for the trackless top bit.

Dogs: Suitable, remember lambs.

Weather forecast: Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418.

Directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. Right from car park, along Gildersbank road, track to right of church (signed Austwick), short tunnels.

2. First track on left (signed Selside).

3. Fieldgate, grassy track at two o'clock which swings left to ladderstile/fieldgate, grassy track 100 yards to wall corner, grassy track 50 yards, ignore minor left fork which follows scar edge. Our track continues gently uphill. Ignore right turns.

4. Good stone wall reappears 100 yards to left, take grassy track switching back on right with cairn at junction. (Note: If you miss this junction, the track you are on will pick up a wall adjacent on the right after about 300 yards further north).

5. Where wall is about 100 yards to left and about 50 yards from a junction, path starts to descend and swings left downhill, keep hillock to your right.

6. Before wall, right (signed), keep wall to left, fieldgates, join track. Ignore a left turn. Track turns to tarmac road.

7. Walled track on right (signed Clapham). Rejoin outward route.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 09:36 Saturday, April 05, 2003